Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32977212›Full record

Trial reportNeuroImage. Clinical2020

Behavioral and electrophysiological effects of network-based frontoparietal tDCS in patients with severe brain injury: A randomized controlled trial.

Géraldine Martens, Eleni Kroupi, Yelena Bodien, Gianluca Frasso, Jitka Annen, Helena Cassol, Alice Barra, Charlotte Martial, Olivia Gosseries, Nicolas Lejeune and 4 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in NeuroImage. Clinical, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  3. Effect of non-invasive brain stimulation on conscious disorder in patients after brain injury: a network meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Géraldine MartensComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau2 - Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: geraldine.martens@uliege.be.
Eleni KroupiStarlab Barcelona SL, Barcelona, Spain.
Yelena BodienDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Laboratory for Neuroimaging in Coma and Consciousness, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Gianluca FrassoComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Jitka AnnenComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau2 - Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Helena CassolComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau2 - Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Alice BarraComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau2 - Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Charlotte MartialComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau2 - Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Olivia GosseriesComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau2 - Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Nicolas LejeuneComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre Hospitalier Neurologique William Lennox, Saint-Luc University Clinics, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
Aureli Soria-FrischStarlab Barcelona SL, Barcelona, Spain.
Giulio RuffiniStarlab Barcelona SL, Barcelona, Spain.
Steven LaureysComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau2 - Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Aurore ThibautComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau2 - Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Neuromodulation Center, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may promote the recovery of severely brain-injured patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Prior tDCS studies targeted single brain regions rather than brain networks critical for consciousness recovery.

objectiveInvestigate the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of multifocal tDCS applied over the frontoparietal external awareness network in patients with chronic acquired DOC.

methodsForty-six patients were included in this randomized double-blind sham-controlled crossover trial (median [interquartile range]: 46 [35 - 59] years old; 12 [5 - 47] months post injury; 17 unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, 23 minimally conscious state (MCS) and 6 emerged from the MCS). Multifocal tDCS was applied for 20 min using 4 anodes and 4 cathodes with 1 mA per electrode. Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) assessment and 10 min of resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were acquired before and after the active and sham sessions.

resultsAt the group level, there was no tDCS behavioral treatment effect. However, following active tDCS, the EEG complexity significantly increased in low frequency bands (1-8 Hz). CRS-R total score improvement was associated with decreased baseline complexity in those bands. At the individual level, after active tDCS, new behaviors consistent with conscious awareness emerged in 5 patients. Conversely, 3 patients lost behaviors consistent with conscious awareness.

conclusionThe behavioral effect of multifocal frontoparietal tDCS varies across patients with DOC. Electrophysiological changes were observed in low frequency bands but not translated into behavioral changes at the group level.

Indexed as

Brain InjuriesTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdultConsciousness DisordersHumansMiddle AgedPersistent Vegetative StateTreatment OutcomeConsciousnessEEGMinimally conscious stateNetworkTDCSUnresponsive wakefulness syndrome

Identifiers

PMID32977212
PMCPMC7511767

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.